Honorary apprentices get hands-on for the day

National Apprenticeship Week was celebrated at Themis at Burnley College by hosting ‘honorary apprentices’ for the day.

Employers and local figures were invited to try their hand at becoming ‘honorary apprentices’ for the day, going back to their roots and experiencing practical sessions in Themis industry standard training rooms

Honorary apprentices included Ray Evans, painter and decorator, Chris Speakman of Speakman Contractors, Andre Smale of A Smale Carpentry and Joinery, Andy Pinder of J Driver Ltd and Gordon Birtwistle, Liberal Democrat MP.

Simon Jordan, Themis director, said: “We wanted to get our employers involved in National Apprenticeships Week and find out first-hand how we train their apprentices here at Themis. All employers were presented with an Honorary Themis Apprenticeship at the end of the day.”

Alongside employers coming as Honorary apprentices some of our employers delivered guest lectures, including Liam Carney and Simon Murray of BodySyke Gym and Ged Ennis of Low Carbon Energy.

Other employers pitched themselves against students in an ‘Egghead’ challenge and engineering apprentices matched their skills against employers in a welding competition judged by Matthew Heyworth of MB Aerospace, Kris Mercer of WEC and Craig Ludlum of EMS.

Themis apprentices showcased activities to visitors in a range of disciplines, including engineering, sport, health and social development and construction.

Simon added: “Our Themis apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships play a vital role in supporting the local economy and producing a highly qualified and employable workforce, so we are delighted that so many employers supported this event. A huge thanks to everyone who was involved in celebrating this year’s National Apprenticeship Week with us.’